Social Work (Adult)

Abstract

The context of social work practice in Aotearoa, New Zealand (NZ) acknowledges Maori (Maori is a term which refers to a New Zealander who is indigenous to New Zealand) directly as Tangata Whenua ('the people of the land'). Social workers explictly aim to work in partnership with Maori in their practice. Pakeha are considered by Maori as Manuhiri or 'visitors' to Aotearoa NZ due to their colonial origins as settlers to New Zealand from the 1830s onwards. (Pakeha is a term that refers to a New Zealander of European descent). The social worker's role is to practice in a way that aims to achieve social justice for Maori at both a structural and individual level in line with the spirit of the Treaty of Waitangi and the underlying principles of protection, partnership, participation and self-determination. Social work in Aotearoa NZ is seen as being concerned with affirming all aspects of the person so a holistic approach is brought to social work tasks within a variety of organisational settings in public health and social care. Evidence based research is considered useful in mental health social work in Aotearoa, NZ when it attends to holism and the individual in the context of their total environments, including the social, cultural and spiritual dimensions.